CCP Games has launched an online course dedicated to human relationships and creating real connections through video games. It was prepared jointly with the University of Iceland and is based on the company’s experience in the development of EVE Online. The program is based on the stories of real players of the popular MMO.The course is called “Friendship Machines: Creating a New Type of Human Relationship” (Friendship Machine: Forming a New Type of Human Connection) and is already available on the edX educational platform.
The program lasts five weeks, the first three of which are free. Full access to the materials will cost $50.
According to the developers, 73% of players have made real friends in EVE Online. That is why CCP Games understands the importance of having social elements and gives priority to adding tools to create and maintain human relationships within the game. The company decided to share this experience with the support of the University of Iceland.
“In recent years, there has been growing concern that games can have a detrimental effect on the psychological well-being and social skills of gamers. In some cases, this may be true. However, for most people, research shows that gaming platforms serve as an effective device for creating friendly ties,” notes Professor Arsul Arnarsson.
At the same time, the course “Friendship Machine” is devoted not only to the study of the issue of human relationships, but also in general to the development of video games as a form of entertainment. The program will also talk about the positive and negative impact of games on the creation of new social connections and the problem of loneliness in the network, based on the experience of real players.
EVE Online is a popular space MMO, the monthly number of paid subscribers in which exceeds 300 thousand people. Outside of its community, the game is known, among other things, thanks to random and sometimes exciting stories, which are then actively discussed on forums and other sites.